If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .Study Survival Skills

In the first century, because of the persecution by Saul the Christians were scattered. At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus had warned His followers and they fled before the destruction. Elijah had to hide in the wilderness for a while and was miraculously cared for by God. If a similar situation occurred where would you go and what would you do? We can’t expect the miraculous, though we may pray for God’s providence. However, God is more concerned with our spiritual lives than our physical lives. Hebrews 11:35-38 speaks of the righteous: “. . . and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: {36} And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: {37} They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; {38} (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” Notice that some of these godly people not only suffered, but also died. We tend to tell our children the stories where everything worked out for good in the end, but we shy away from the stories with a happy ending only in the after-life, those who did not accept deliverance so that they might obtain a better resurrection.

The fact is we need to realize that God is not always going to protect us from harm, even death. We need to consider the possibility that we too might be outcasts, destitute, afflicted, wandering in the wilderness one day. It is hard for us to imagine what that would be like. We are so accustomed to buying any food we want at the store from all over the world, turning on the tap and having water, being able to swipe a card to pay for what we want, driving wherever we want whenever we want, living where we want, working where we want if we are capable of doing the job. What would we do if we became pariahs? What if believing the Bible caused us to lose a job? Remember the Mozilla CEO who lost his job because six years ago he gave some money to support marriage as it is defined by the Bible? What if you had to register like the Jews in Nazi Germany? What if your property was confiscated because you were a Christian? What if you lost your social security, Medicare, or other sources of income or benefits because you were a Christian like those in India? What would you do?

While it is essential that we always trust God, He expects us to do more than sit around waiting for Him to do everything for us. I hope we are not doing that now, and we certainly shouldn’t when things go bad. It may sound extreme, but I believe it would be good for us to learn some survival skills. If the time comes that we or our children are the ones wandering in deserts, and mountains and dens and caves of the earth, wouldn’t it be good to know how to survive. I am not saying we have to try to put Bear Grylls (Man Vs. Wild) out of business, but that knowing how to hunt, fish, live off the land, and grow food is not a bad thing and could be a good thing in a time of turmoil or persecution. For many it has been at least 2-3 generations from the time that their family did those things in a real way.

Christians are not to be cowards, but there is an advantage to living to fight another day. How do you suppose the early Christians responded to Saul hunting them or the Roman government later? I don’t read about many that came up and said, “Hey, I am a Christian arrest me.” We read in Acts 8 that the church was scattered because of the persecution by Saul. I don’t think they filled out change of address forms at the Post Office and called to get their Dish moved or loaded everything on a U-haul. More likely some of them left businesses, land, houses, etc. and ran for their lives. Sometimes maybe even sneaking away in the middle of the night like Paul when he was let down out of the window in the wall of the city. Was that cowardly? Of course as they ran they told others about Jesus and His gospel, they were devoted and dedicated to Christ, but wanted to continue living to serve Him better. Many who were captured were unflinching as they faced death like Stephen, but some did give in as Paul tells us in Acts 26:11. We may have to flee with our families, or our children may have to flee with theirs. Wouldn’t it be wise to teach them how to do it? Some might view this as fearmongering, but I prefer to think of the Boy Scout motto “be prepared”. Survival skills could come in handy if there is a storm that knocks out power for a long time, or if you got lost on a hike, or stranded on the road. It would serve you better than knowing the story line of whatever hit TV show is on every night. Who knows what other people you may be able to help as well. There are a multitude of survival sites on the internet and even people who run camps to train you to survive in the wild. Urban survival is another thing entirely, and there are sites that teach that as well. There are books and videos, checklists, supplies, etc. to help you make it without the modern conveniences to which we are so accustomed. Be sure to compare the different information and not just take one person’s blog as gospel on the subject. Learn about the world God created in the process instead of just being focused on the world mankind has adapted.

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .Intellectual Preparation: Relevant Reading and Value Viewing

You are probably familiar with the old adage: Garbage in, garbage out. There is a reason it is familiar to us; it is true. What we put into our minds molds what we think and feel and what we think and feel molds us into what we believe and, ultimately, into who we are. The Bible warns us of this fact in Proverbs 23:7 and points out that we should control what we think about in Philippians 4:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:5. What are we allowing our children to put into their minds? If we want them to become faithful Christians in a future that is likely to involve persecution against them, then we are going to have to train their minds.

In Jesus’ parable of the sower He explains that the seed that fell among the rocks and thorns didn’t produce fruit and even withered and died because of problems they faced. We don’t want that to happen with our children, and the only way to avoid it is to build strong deep roots and prepare them for the temptations and persecutions that they may face. Too often we have babied and protected our children’s minds from any of the negative things Christians have faced or may face in the future. Because of that they are totally unprepared for any hardships they may face. Even something as insignificant as losing a friendship or being laughed at for believing something in the Bible is enough to drive them away from the church, the Bible, and their weak faith in God. I am not saying we should be scaring 5 year-olds by telling them about all the bad things that have happened and could happen again, but we need to face it ourselves and reveal it to our children as they grow older.

We already talked about impressing them with the Esther Factor in an earlier section. That is appropriate for even young children. As children mature, however, we need to help them discover that there is a cost to following Jesus. It’s time to help them see that things don’t always work out like they did for Esther, Daniel, Joseph, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or even Elijah and Jeremiah. The fact is that even though all of these faced danger, persecution, and/or physical harm, their lives were spared. Not everyone who stood for God was so fortunate. We need to let the older children see those that lost everything including their physical lives for God. They need to consider Hebrews 11:37 and those that were stoned, slain with the sword, even cut in two with a saw (tradition says that was Isaiah). What about those Jesus referred to from Abel and the many prophets who were killed up to Zacharias? What about Jesus Himself, Stephen, James, Paul, other apostles, etc?

It would be good to read in the scriptures about those righteous individuals who were killed. The books of the Maccabees and Foxe’s Book of Martyrs would also be good for older children. In addition to those kinds of things it is important to be fostering a Biblical worldview in their minds and hearts with the things they read, watch, listen to, and play. Movies, TV shows, books, music, video games, etc. all fill our minds and our children’s minds with thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. As adults we often recognize something that is not good, but children are much more impressionable and can easily come to believe things that are not true or right. Children say things they hear without knowing that there are bad things that shouldn’t be said. We recently stopped our preschool-aged daughter from watching an educational reading show because one of the characters used some slang words that we did not want her to say. Too many of the educational and entertainment products that are being produced for young children push sinful, atheistic, or evolutionary agendas, and those being produced for older children are even worse.

Perhaps the most challenging thing here may be the necessity of examining our own thoughts and beliefs to see if they really line up with the Bible’s teachings, specifically, those of Jesus in the New Testament. Violence, vengeance, hatred, enmity, strife, etc. are all contrary to Jesus’ teachings and will not please Him. Jesus’ primary teaching to us is love for God first and for our fellow man second, and we must understand the power and strength of love. If we can instill in ourselves and our children this kind of love we can do what could never be done for money, prestige, popularity, or out of hatred and anger. With love we can do even what we would not do for faith.

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . . Make Money Matter

As Christians our focus should be spiritual, but we live in a physical world and money is a part of that world. We will be judged for how we deal with money, possessions, and our stewardship of them. Too many Christians in America spend more money each year on late fees and interest for their debt than they give to the work of the Lord. That can’t be called good stewardship. In Luke 16:1-13 Jesus tells a parable and makes some statements about money, stewardship, and using them in relationships. The fact is that Christ had more to say about money than many other subjects. It has been said that there are over 800 verses about money in the Bible. God even established a monetary system for his nation, Israel, and though He did not do that with His church, He does give guidance for us on how to handle it.

One of the things that Jesus taught while He was here was that His followers should be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). In one of His parables (Luke 16:1-13) His lesson is that we should use money to develop our relationships, or we might say invest in our friendships instead of using our friends, family and other relationships to make money. The reason He gives is that when necessary our relationships can be more powerful resources than money. That being said money can be an extremely helpful tool when it is used wisely and is the servant and not the master.

Consider men like Barnabas who were able to sell land and help the needy in the Jerusalem church. How was he able to do that? If he had not wisely handled his financial affairs in the past he would not have had any means to help in the time of need. Jesus promised there will always be those who are poor (Mark 14:7). Even in the church there will be those who need financial help for one reason or another. This will be especially true as the level of negativity toward Christians increases to the point that there is discrimination against them or they lose income and/or employment as a result of standing for what is right and refusing to commit sins to keep those jobs or that income.

While life is not about the accumulation of wealth, the Bible does teach us to take care of our own household and management of money as well as other resources is a necessary part of obeying that teaching. The Bible says in Proverbs 21:20 that wise people have treasure and oil, but foolish people spend everything. By that definition many of us in America are foolish because we spend everything and then borrow more and spend that too. The problem is that at some point that comes to an end. In Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish virgins the wise had extra oil with them and the foolish ran out. Most in our society would think that the ones who had some oil should share with the ones that ran out, but Jesus doesn’t have them do that in the story and he calls them wise for refusing. Their answer when asked to share was that if they did they would not have enough for themselves. God loves sharing, but sharing is to come from a surplus not from what is needed for the individual or his family.

Considering all of these things we need to quit spending wastefully and store up resources for our families’ needs during difficult times. It doesn’t matter whether it is an actual persecution of Christians, or a natural disaster, illness, lost job, war, or any other emergency that occurs; money and resources will be useful.We must emphasize our trust in God, but also our obedience to his teachings about caring for our families.

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .

Making Christian Connections

There is something encouraging about knowing you are not alone. In 1 Peter 5:9 we are encouraged to resist Satan and the encouragement given is knowing that others are facing the same afflictions and temptations. Sometimes we suffer from the Elijah syndrome which occurs when we think we are the only ones in the whole world who are faithful. Other than the days of Noah that has never been the case. God has children throughout the world and we would do well to remember that.

I know we are busy with our lives and many churches are busy with their own activities, fellowship time, Bible studies, outreach, evangelism, benevolence programs, etc.(and they may be great things to be involved in), but we have to make time to make contact with other Christians beyond our own congregation as well. Do we connect with a church when we are traveling? Do we visit area congregations when they have a meeting, ladies’ day, or even VBS? Do we interact with other Christians by phone, email or snail mail, or even social media?

During the first century there were certain places with more persecution than other places. At one point all of the Jews were forced to leave Rome, in some towns Paul stayed and preached for a long time while in others he was attacked, Jesus even told the disciples at one point that if they were persecuted in one city they should flee to another. He was not encouraging cowardice, but prudence; live to fight another day. I believe that the same clustering of persecution will be true in our modern times as well. Just as certain things have been pushed and promoted more in some states than others, it seems likely that before there is a national persecution there would be some in certain cities or states. If they become severe enough it might be advisable for Christians to leave one place and go to another. Would you have any contacts under those circumstances? Where could you go? Who could you call? Who could call on you?

I think about the Christians who got out of Jerusalem before the destruction or the Jews who left Germany and later Austria to escape Hitler. Some thought it was foolish and unnecessary and that nothing bad would happen, but looking back we see those leaving were wise. I certainly am not saying that we should all be scared and running for our lives. We are not there yet and I still hope that we can turn things around, but I am saying that just as with a fire, tornado or hurricane it is good to have a plan in case of emergency. Once the house is on fire is too late to plan. Some probably think that I am being silly to even bring any of this up, but that is what many thought before the destruction of Jerusalem and before WWII as well. It is better to be prepared for something that never occurs than to be caught flat footed when it does happen.

Our country is currently on a trajectory away from religious freedom. If you don’t believe it consider what is going on in the military which has always had a strong religious foundation. * An Air Force officer was told to remove a Bible from his desk because it might give the impression he was endorsing a religion.*The Air Force censored a video created by a chaplain because it include the word “God.” The Air Force feared the word might offend Muslims and atheists.*A service member received a “severe and possibly career-ending reprimand” for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog.*A senior military official at Fort Campbell sent out a lengthy email officially instructing officers to recognize “the religious right in America” as a “domestic hate group” akin to the KKK and Neo-Nazis because of its opposition to homosexual behavior.*A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because, consistent with DOMA’s definition of marriage, he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.*The VA has banned the use of “God” in military funerals.These are actual events, not some fictional storyline. Add to that the fact that this very week the Supreme Court heard a case about whether a town council can say a prayer before they start their meeting. Can you imagine that happening 50 or 100 years ago. The founding fathers said prayers when they had meetings, but some think it should not be allowed anymore. We are definitely headed toward persecution of Christians if we don’t make a course correction.

In the meantime having fellowship with other Christians near and far will help us grow stronger and help them grow stronger. Studies have been done showing that the number of Christian friendships a person has is directly related to how likely they are to remain faithful. We are a family and even though we don’t see all of our family every week we still love those family members that live far away from us. I know in my family there are some family members who have never met one another, but we still know they are family if we need them or they need us. We will not meet all of our Christian family on this side of Heaven, but we need to know they are family if we need them or they need us. - jp

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .

Making Christian Connections

In the first century, since there was no Social Security, unemployment payments, Medicare, Medicaid or welfare people who were destitute or out of work or aged or ill, they had to depend on the charity of others. Sometimes their family could help them, but sometimes the whole family was in trouble and had to depend on friends or even strangers. The Christians in the first century took care of each other during these difficult times. There was a famine in Judea and Christians from all over sent aid to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. People like Barnabas sold land to help provide for the needs of other Christians. Take a closer look at Acts 2:41-47; 4:31-37 and 6:1-3. After reading those sections a few times honestly ask yourself if that sounds like the congregation where you attend. All things common, none considered possessions theirs, daily food distribution to widows, selling things to give more, being in daily fellowship and study, etc. Some people think it sounds like Communism and it scares them, but the fact is that it is New Testament Christianity and an aspect of it that we have lost touch with because government programs have taken the place of Christians caring for one another. However, we need to return to this way of thinking and acting as one large extended family, and may soon be forced to either do so or allow the church to be destroyed.

How far would you be willing to go to help your brethren. Would we be like the man described by James that says, ‘be warmed and filled’, or perhaps one who says, ‘I’m praying for you’, but does nothing? Would you allow a widow, an orphan, or a homeless family to live with you for a time? Would you make sure everyone in the church had food each day? Would you give one of your cars to someone who had none? Would you sell something to help a fellow Christian have something they need? These things seem extreme in the land of plenty where Americans live. Here aside from some who truly have had some serious physical or mental handicaps people who are poor to the point of not having the necessities of life are in that position because of choices they have made. Drugs, alcohol, other addictions, dropping out of school, criminal activity, laziness, attitude of entitlement, etc. The Bible certainly does not encourage the support of sinful choices, but things can change quickly and good Christian people could be in a position of losing their means of support. The financial condition of the United States could bring reductions or even elimination of some of the social programs that many depend upon. How many older Christians, orphaned children, widows or those with handicaps are receiving Social Security or SSI benefits? How would they get by without it? Will the church step up and sacrifice houses, land, cars, possessions for necessities of their brethren.

We must instill in our children and ourselves a desire to have the kind of relationship with other Christians that would drive us to sacrifice for them. I am not talking about supporting deadbeats, that is condemned in scripture, but those who are truly in need. Are you closer to physical family members who are not Christians or Christians who are not physical family members? Jesus said those who do God’s will are His family members and we need to think the same way.

So far we have only considered economic reasons for need, but let’s be honest, persecution would certainly cause Christians to have needs. What if Christians were actively persecuted? Not necessarily with beatings or killings even, but what if someone was fired for refusing to do something sinful? What if Christians were excluded from benefits like Social Security. In India a Christian cannot be buried unless the church has some land and a cemetery. In the Roman empire at one point in time you could not do business in the marketplace unless you had offered sacrifice to their gods and had proof of it. In Nazi Germany, Jews were marked, were fired from jobs, had their possessions stolen (confiscated) and ultimately were executed. Here in America the Indians were forced off the land and black people were sold as property, separated from their children and families, etc. For any who would say, ‘that can’t happen here’; I say, ‘Wake up!’ It can and I expect will happen in my lifetime. In fact, I would suggest that it is already starting to happen in some places. Have you seen the video by Ben Stein called Expelled? It describes cases of scientists who lost their jobs right here in America because the believed in design rather than evolution. That movie is several years old now. There was a substitute teacher banned because a student asked about his Bible and he gave it to the student. Some would say these are isolated events and perhaps that is true . . . for now. Paul told Timothy that evil men would get worse and that is the trajectory of our society today. Back to the question. How much would you do to help your fellow Christians? Locally? Nationally? Internationally? - jp

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .Examining Extreme Examples of Endurance.

Imagine with me what it would have been like to be a faithful Jew in the days of righteous King Hezekiah. He reigned for 29 years and worshiped God with all his heart. He encouraged worship, cleansed the temple, tore down the places of false religion, etc. Going to the temple was a wonderful experience and the priests and prophets were respected. Being Jewish religiously was something honorable and it was shameful to be anything else. That is what being a Christian in the United States has been like for the past century. There have been problems, and being a member of the church of Christ was not quite like being in some of the denominations that were more prominent. Overall however, things have leaned toward morality and virtues for the greater part of the 20th century. We have had laws in place that protected religious freedom and benefitted religion in general.

Now, let’s imagine a different Israel. What would it have been like to have tried to live as a faithful Jew in the days of wicked King Manasseh? He reigned for 55 years and it was a reign of terror. He sacrificed his own son to a false god. If he would do that to his son what do you think he would do to you if you went against him. There is a legend that says that he put Isaiah in a log and then cut it and him in half. Some believe that is referenced in Hebrews 11:37. Second Kings chapter 21 explains that he did more wicked things than the heathen Canaanites that had been destroyed so that the Israelites could have the land. He put idols and altars to false gods in God’s temple, and killed so many innocent people that it says Jerusalem was filled with the blood he shed. How hard would it have been to be a faithful Jew under those circumstances? You could not go to the temple because it had been confiscated by the king for use by false religions. How would you find a priest to perform a sacrifice or anything else the religion requires? Where would you hear the law taught if you did not have a copy of your own, which you probably wouldn’t? How would you find friends who were like-minded? Who could you safely talk to about your faith? If you can imagine what that would have been like, then you can see the direction we are headed in America as we move deeper into the 21st century.

We are leaving the reign of Hezekiah and entering the reign of Manasseh. Realize that Manasseh did not do all of those wicked things in the first year. I imagine that it deteriorated as the years went by until it hit rock bottom. We should not expect to wake up next Sunday to find the church doors chained, but that is certainly the desire of a portion of society. While the majority would not vote for such a thing today, chances are many would not do much to stop that kind of thing.

As we move into a time like this we have a choice: we and our children can gripe and moan and whine that we didn’t live in the days of Hezekiah, or we can impress our selves and our children with the Esther factor, that perhaps God put us here in this time and this place because we have an important role to play. I don’t know about you, but I am convinced that the second is the way to live a life that is pleasing to God. If you look to the Scriptures you will find a multitude of accounts of people who were faithful under extreme persecution or in the face of godless surroundings. We look to heroes like Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and Caleb, Gideon, David, Elijah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, Abednego, Jeremiah, Esther, Peter, James, John, Stephen, Paul, and others who triumphed against the wickedness that surrounded them.

When we look at persecution we have to change the way we look at it. The first century church had an amazing view of this. Notice what Paul says in Philippians and let it sink in. Philippians 1:27-29 says,

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whetherI come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (28) And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. (29) For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”

Notice verse 29 talks of two blessings that were given to them one was faith which we all know is a wonderful thing from God, but the other is not what we usually think of as a blessing or gift. Look at that verse closely, Paul says that not only has it been given them to believe on Jesus, but also (they get a special gift) to suffer for Him. Have you ever felt that God was neglecting you because He had left suffering out of the list of gifts and blessings that He has poured out on you? I know I never have. If we and our children are going to remain faithful through times of persecution we are going to have to look at persecution as an opportunity to be blessed by God. If we continue to have the attitude that we should never suffer for being Christians then we will quit when Christians begin to suffer.

We are going to have to look at those martyrs in the Old and New Testaments with more than the token respect we have given them in the past, but with a desire to follow in the footsteps of their faith, a faith that rejoiced at being counted worthy of suffering for God - Acts 5:41. In a society full of people who won’t go to worship God because: it is too hot, it is too cold, it is raining, it is dark, I don’t want to bother someone for a ride, I don’t have anything to wear, I don’t want to miss _________(fill in the blank with any tv show, sporting event, etc.), someone hurt my feelings, I was up too late Saturday night, etc., etc., etc.; How would they ever even consider worshiping God if there were some real problem like persecution or breaking the law involved. Someone I went to college with said she thought that if the government tried to take the freedom away that people would rise up and stand for the right to worship like many have over efforts to increase gun control. I hope she is right and I am sure some would, but the majority, I think, would just roll over and go the easy way. There are not many Daniels in the world, but I want to train my son to be like him. There are not many Esthers in the world, but I want to train my daughters to be like her. Who are training your children to be? - jp

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . . Focus on the Future of Heaven.

We live in a society obsessed with instant gratification. Most people have trouble paying attention to a 20 minute sitcom on TV and some probably can’t make it through the 30 second commercials. We want our food ready in under 5 minutes. We want a pill that will make the pounds melt away or better yet liposuction to suck the pounds away in an afternoon. We want to win the lottery or a sweepstakes or get an inheritance and be rich. We want the newest computer gadget, fashion, car, fad, entertainment experience, etc. We want everything right now, but there are some things that don’t work that way. Stephen Covey uses the principle of the farm to help us understand that in the spiritual realm right now won’t work. Just as a farmer can’t wait until September to plow, plant, fertilize, do pest and weed control, and water if he expects a harvest in October, we can’t live a life of selfishness and instant gratification and expect to be able to harvest joy, peace, and patience. We can’t live like the devil and expect to spend eternity with God. We can’t raise our children to be materialistic, selfish, arrogant, worldly, immodest, spoiled brats and then think that at 18 or 21 or 25 or some other magic age they will automatically become spiritual, selfless, humble, godly, modest, kind saints. It takes hard work to scrub away the grime and the longer it has been hardening the more scrubbing it takes to get it off, like oatmeal dried in a pot for days(I would not recommend cooking oatmeal and then leaving the remnants in the pot for days, just some friendly advice from the voice of experience).

The problem is that everyone lives for the right now. Everyone says you only have one life to live so make the most of it. That is not true! We have two lives to live, one here on Earth and another to be determined by the way we live this one, in either Heaven or Hell. Even if both lives were of equal length it would not make sense to live the lives of reckless abandon that is becoming the norm. How much more pointless is it then when we consider that this life is but a speck of time compared to the one to come. Romans 8:13-18 reminds us not to compare them equally.

Are we truly naive enough to think that we and our children can be and do and have everything that the worldly people are and do and have and yet by some miracle not be worldly people. Do we think because we call America a Christian nation that 2 Corinthians 6:13-18 doesn’t apply anymore. The fact of the matter is that we have got to start looking past this world and its pleasures. What if our kids didn’t get to watch cartoons? Would that be so bad? What if they didn’t go to the mall or the movies with friends when they wanted to go? What if they didn’t get to play that sport, be in that club, learn ballet or karate? What if we didn’t go out to McDonald’s? What if they didn’t get to ___________(put your child’s favorite activity in the blank)? Would we be horrible parents? Now let me ask one more. What if they did get to do all of those things and more, but didn’t get to go to Heaven? That doesn’t mean that every activity is evil, but does it cause such a distraction or such a desire, or take time that should be spent on spiritual development in such a way that it hinders spiritual growth.

I heard one father say recently that he didn’t care if his kids were not the most athletic, the best spellers, the most artistic, the smartest with the best grades, etc. he wanted them to be the best Christians. Now Christianity is not a competition like football or a spelling bee, but what if the world got to the point that it was in Noah’s day and there was only one family that was right with God. Would you want that one family to be your family? What if we live in a city that becomes like Sodom and Gomorrah? What if we can’t just move to another town because they are all that way? Would you be the one family that God would try to save? What if things were like in Elijah’s day? Would you be one of the 7000 that didn’t bow the knee to Baal? What if you are in a church like the one Moses led out of Egypt? When everyone starts throwing their hands up and quitting will you join them or speak up and stand up like Joshua and Caleb? If we don’t have our sights set on Heaven we will fail when the tough times come, and if the world is in our hearts like it was in Lot’s wife’s we will never escape.

Do not be deceived God is not mocked, whatever a man sows is what he will reap. Galatians 6:7-9 reminds us of the spiritual law of the farm. We need to remind ourselves and our children not only with words or songs, but with actions that this world is not our home. We are just traveling through on our way to somewhere better, Heaven, Hebrews 8:11-16. Don’t miss out by having too much here, and not making it there. Keep your focus on that unseen city.

Fathers, have you considered the following passage of scripture, especially verse 12?2 Timothy 3:10-13 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, (11) Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. (12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (13) But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. Now that you have read it, are you wondering why you are not suffering persecution? Are you living godly in Christ Jesus? Are you preparing your children to face persecution? Take a look at the series we have started entitled “Behind Enemy Lines” to learn more about what to do to get ready for persecution. As a father, you are the captain of your ship, you are responsible for those on board, and you have to do everything you can to make sure they are up to the challenge. We need to understand a few things about the persecution Paul speaks of in this passage. 1. Not all will suffer the same persecution or the same amount of persecution and certainly not at the same time. 2. No one, not even Paul, faced continual persecution. We may just be in the calm before the storm. Even Paul had times where he was able to stay and teach and preach for a period of months or even years without problems. When we read the book of Acts and see all the persecution he did face we sometimes forget that it was over a period of years, not a matter of days. We think of it all like a movie or TV show where the hero is out of the frying pan into the fire constantly. There certainly were some sequences in Paul’s life that were one after the other, but we also need to remember that God specifically chose him and actually said that he would have to suffer much for the name of Christ, Acts 9:16. 3. Some will try to avoid persecution by sacrificing faithfulness to Christ in one way or another. They will not admit such, but rationalize (rational lies) it. Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 4. The righteous have escaped a large amount of persecution up to now in America for two reasons: a) There has been an atmosphere of desiring to follow God in the history of this country. That has changed. Wicked men are generally cowards and will not strike out when they are in the minority, Proverbs 28:1. They like to get mobs, or do things in secret, through legal trickery, deceit, etc. We are entering that stage in America. The president is doing background checks to make sure that no preacher who leads a prayer at his inauguration has ever preached that homosexuality is a sin! How long before the consequences of speaking the truth on this issue will be life threatening. b) There is a proliferation of denominationalism (many churches) - the more targets there are the less likely you are to be hit - statistically, the centralization of many churches(a headquarters that can be attacked) - the autonomous nature of the Lord's church makes it harder to attack, the increase in using government laws and courts - things are pushed "legally" and many simply capitulate without ever putting up a fight (consider the health care mandate hundreds of businesses owned by those claiming Christianity and hundreds of 'Christian' nonprofit groups are not even objecting to having to pay for the abortion pill), the watering down of the teaching of many churches losing the idea of absolute right and wrong even to the point of not saying Jesus is the only way to heaven (others assume that we are like those churches) we have not yet been targeted in an organized way.

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .Get that Government is not God

As I look back at history when there was a hostile government there seemed to always be a group that wanted to be violent. That is not the answer! We need to teach our children to be the best citizens they can be as long as the government does not call on them to violate God’s teaching, and then to simply refuse to submit to those laws. We will look at this further in the section on setting boundaries. One of the most difficult things for a person who is used to freedom to handle is the loss of that freedom and mistreatment or the violation of their rights. As Christians, however, we must remember that being right with God is more important than having rights with government. Jesus taught peace and submission, not violence and rebellion. Not all who have used the name of Christ have practiced what He both taught and practiced. The Old Testament tells of a time of violence and a physical kingdom that fought with physical enemies and material weapons, but Christ’s kingdom is not of this world because if it were His subjects would fight, but they don’t (John 18:33-37).

We have mostly failed to take the peace that Jesus left and implant it in our hearts and minds and the hearts and minds of our children. We must understand that as soon as we take up physical weapons to fight for God’s kingdom, we have betrayed what that kingdom stands for and have become traitors to Jesus and friends to the enemy. Gandhi was quoted as saying, “I like your Christ, but not your Christians. Your Christians are not much like your Christ.” When we act like the world and fuss and cuss and fight and kill we are part of the world and not part of Christ’s body, because His body does not behave that way (1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Peter 2:23).

Jesus warned Peter that those who use the sword will die by the sword (Matthew 26:52), and His true followers have been warning others of this same thing for 20 centuries. One case, certainly not the only one, from the 1400's recorded by Hans Grimm in his book The Course Of The Church Through The Centuries:

Reiser had warned in vain against trying to protect churches of Christ with the sword. The Taborites, incensed at the betrayal of the common cause, began the two-front war against those who had capitulated in their own camp and against the crusaders on the borders. They were annihilated near Lipan in 1434 as a military force by the combined forces of their opponents, and about the middle of the century they vanished as a reli- gious party also.

We need to listen to those warnings. Other religions may call on their faithful to fight, but Christianity is more precious. Christianity is a faith worth NOT fighting for because fighting violates the faith. We are not terrorists. We fight against spiritual enemies with spiritual weapons and because of that we are no threat to anyone as long as we follow Christ. The wisdom of God’s plan for the church is seen in the way it is capable of surviving through times of turmoil and persecution. The autonomy of the local church with local leadership instead of a central government, the peaceful nature, the teaching to be submissive to the authorities, etc. are all things that make the persecution of the church problematic for a government. A group with a national headquarters that depends on that organization to function will be devastated by a law that affects that group, but if the government wants to shut down or cripple the churches of Christ they will have to come to every town to do it. Remember in the first century the church was large in Jerusalem before Acts 8 when Saul began to make havoc of it and they just scattered to other places, that left Saul having to go from town to town trying to get them. The governing authorities are not God and, therefore, they cannot be everywhere and know everything.

We need to learn to focus our minds on Hebrews 13:5-6, God is with us we should never be afraid of what man can do to us. We need to pound this fearlessness, the desire to be weird, the courage to walk away from the fight attitude into our children if we want them to win. The child who has to fit in with the group will not stand against the crowd.jp

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .Get that Government is not God

It seems like we as a people are becoming more and more dependent on the government to be there for us, especially the Federal government. I suppose that I honestly lean increasingly toward the libertarian view of things even though there are moral issues involved that I disagree with strongly. The fact is that our government has been growing at an alarming rate and has become truly unsustainable at this point. If something is not done soon the weight of it will fall on the American people and crush them, but this is not even about fiscal problems or bloated programs, or bureaucracy, or the things that people generally talk about when they discuss the problems of government. We are following a path that has led to problems for others in the past. Read one woman’s account of what happened in Austria during WWII.

The fact is that there are many people, including some Christians, who have been duped into believing that the government has the right to make laws that it actually does not have the right to make either constitutionally, or according to God’s law. When I asked once, in a Bible class, what we would do if they passed a law that said we couldn’t get together to study the Bible or worship one woman actually said she guessed we would have to quit doing it. Let’s make this clear, no government, not the United States government, not any state or local government, not the United Nations, not a husband, not an eldership, nor any other government is God. Government has no authority except what is given from above, Jesus said as much while on trial with Pilate - John 19:11. In Romans 13:1 Paul reminds us that the government is ordained and authorized by God, not the other way around. Peter and John made it clear that we are to obey God rather than man - Acts 5:29. When discussing Obamacare and the mandate to provide funding for the abortion pill, at least one Christian said since it didn’t affect churches it didn’t matter to us and that businesses had to do what the government said, even non-profit religious charities and Christian colleges. That is not true, and I for one am glad that there are some companies like Hobby Lobby that are fighting it and refusing to obey it. Understand that just because they didn’t try to force it on churches this time does not mean they won’t soon, speak up while you can. I am often reminded of the quote that is attributed in various forms to Martin Niemoeller.

There is also a growing percentage of our population that depends on government for day to day existence rather than on God. Money is a tool the government has used effectively in only one way – to get people addicted to the next handout. What if the government completely shut down tomorrow? There would be chaos, theft, murder, and rioting in the streets next week when half the people in the U.S. who get a monthly check and/or other benefits didn’t receive them. What about you? Are you depending on the government or God? Even those in private business might have some serious cutbacks if those on welfare and social security did not get their money to spend. There would be a massive ripple, a tsunami, throughout the economy. Someone took the 23rd Psalm and changed it to reflect the thinking of many who believe “The Government Is My Shepherd”. It has been around for years and there are several variations, this is a recently updated version of it.

There is an increasing ignorance about the role of government and the history of our government. People today have completely perverted the founders’ intentions with their talk of the separation of church and state. Originally, the idea was to protect the church, religion, and Christians from the federal government. Read the amendment in the Bill of Rights and you will see that it clearly says that congress(federal government) shall make no law establishing a religion or prohibiting the free practice of religion. There was actually nothing about local laws regarding religion, in fact several of the states had recognized churches. The point was not to allow the entire nation to have only one church as had been done in England.

Consider the way that worked in the past, the Mormons were not welcome in many of the established states, so they went west and established their own in what is today Utah. That state is still strongly Mormon, but their laws have changed as others moved into the area, voted, ran for office, etc. There was a time when in Missouri a city was established for atheists. It was named Liberal and the goal was that no church building would be built there. Eventually the founder of the city became a Christian himself according to Wikipedia. Now there are at least 7 religious groups there. You can read more about this failed experiment in an article by Apologetics Press. That is what freedom is about and to some degree what was intended (although the founders had no use for atheism or any religion other than Christianity - for more on these views consider the videos The Silencing of God and America’s Most Pressing Concern available from World Video Bible School). Those kind of things could not happen today. If a group of religious people of one stripe or another decided to have a town of their own and not allow others, it would be attacked in the courts as soon as it was known. It has gotten to the point that if one person doesn’t like it he can scream about it and get any religious thing thrown out of town. You see, the truth is not afraid to stand toe to toe with a lie because it can win, but the lie can’t win in honest debate so it must resort to other means to silence truth and win the day. Today the founders' original plan has been twisted and perverted to protect government and society from religion.

As Bible believers, we know that God does not call us to go live in isolation with only other believers, we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Both light and salt are more clearly evident in circumstances where there is not much. Turn on a spotlight out in the sunshine and it would barely be noticed 10 feet away, but light a match in the darkness of a cave and everyone there can see it. Put some salt in a salt shaker and you may not notice, but put some on bland vegetables and it makes them edible. Because our country has been one that taught morality and had many religious people of various denominations who were living basically good lives but were confused on certain doctrinal issues, the contrast has often not been that great. We are used to agreeing with our neighbors on 90-95% and debating issues of worship, a doctrine about the second coming, etc. That is not the case anymore. If we will truly live for Christ, not just worship Him on Sunday but truly live as He would live, we will stand out from the crowd, we will shine as stars in a crooked and perverse generation - Philippians 2:15.

Think about how different the Amish seem to us. Will we as Christians ever seem that different to our neighbors or will we keep doing what the media and government tell us is normal. Normal is being on the road toward Hell, I don’t want to be normal. I want people to think I am strange, the Christians in the New Testament had people thinking they were strange, not because of hair styles or not having electricity, but because they did not get involved in sinful things. Just because it is legal doesn’t mean it is moral. Government approval is not God’s approval.

There can be no doubt in our minds or our children's minds that tempts us to believe that government is benevolent, our provider, all-powerful, or our friend. The government that is at odds with and enemies with God and His Law is an enemy to His people as well. We need to know that wherever we live in this world we are living behind enemy lines and in hostile territory among citizens of the kingdom of our greatest enemy, Satan.

So what do we do with a hostile government that looks on us as a danger and that we have finally recognized as a danger? How do we react? We’ll consider that further in the next installment.